About the Cocktail Ratio Calculator
Making cocktails one at a time is fun for two people and exhausting for twenty. Hosts who want to enjoy their own party batch their cocktails in advance: mix a jug or bottle of the drink ahead of time and simply pour it over ice. Scaling a recipe up sounds like simple multiplication, but a batched drink is missing something a shaken or stirred cocktail has — the water that melts from the ice — and that small detail decides whether it tastes balanced or harsh.
This cocktail ratio calculator scales six classic cocktails — the margarita, daiquiri, negroni, old fashioned, cosmopolitan and whiskey sour — to any number of drinks. It gives every ingredient in millilitres and ounces, the water to add for dilution, the total volume, the drink's alcohol strength, and the bottles and fruit to buy.
How to Use the Cocktail Ratio Calculator
Choose the cocktail.
Enter the number of drinks.
Set the dilution. About 20 percent matches a drink shaken or stirred with ice. If you will still shake each drink with ice when serving, set it to 0.
How the Batch Is Worked Out
each ingredient = amount per drink × number of drinks
water = undiluted batch × dilution %
ABV = alcohol in the spirits ÷ (batch + water) × 100Step-by-Step Example
Eight margaritas with 20% dilution.
Tequila: 50 ml × 8 = 400 ml
Triple sec: 25 ml × 8 = 200 ml
Lime juice: 25 ml × 8 = 200 ml
Water: 800 ml × 20% = 160 ml
Total: 800 + 160 = 960 ml (120 ml per drink)
Alcohol: 400 × 40% + 200 × 40% = 240 ml → 240 ÷ 960 = 25% ABV
Shopping: 1 bottle of tequila, 1 of triple sec, about 7 limesThe Classic Specs
| Cocktail | Recipe per drink | Strength at 20% dilution |
|---|---|---|
| Margarita | 50 ml tequila, 25 ml triple sec, 25 ml lime | about 25% |
| Daiquiri | 60 ml white rum, 22.5 ml lime, 22.5 ml syrup | about 19% |
| Negroni | 30 ml each gin, Campari, sweet vermouth | about 22.5% |
| Old Fashioned | 60 ml bourbon, 7.5 ml syrup, 2 ml bitters | about 29.8% |
| Cosmopolitan | 40 ml vodka, 15 ml triple sec, 15 ml lime, 30 ml cranberry | about 18.3% |
| Whiskey Sour | 60 ml bourbon, 30 ml lemon, 22.5 ml syrup | about 17.8% |
Sugar syrup here is simple syrup, equal parts sugar and water. The strengths assume 40 percent spirits and triple sec, 25 percent Campari and 16 percent vermouth; brands differ a little.
Why Dilution Matters
When a bartender shakes or stirs a cocktail with ice, part of the ice melts. That water is an ingredient: it softens the alcohol, opens up the flavours and brings the drink to the right strength. A shaken drink typically gains 20 to 30 percent of its volume in water, a stirred one somewhat less. A batched cocktail poured over ice without this water tastes hot and aggressive at first, then weak and watery as the ice slowly melts. Adding the water in advance, then chilling the batch well, gives a drink that tastes right from the first sip.
Batching Tips
Chill everything. A batch kept in the fridge, or spirit-only batches kept in the freezer, needs less ice when serving and stays at the right dilution.
Add citrus on the day. Fresh lime and lemon juice lose their brightness within hours. Mix the spirits and syrup ahead, then add the juice shortly before guests arrive.
Leave out fizz. Sparkling wine, soda or tonic should be added to each glass, never to the batch, or it goes flat.
Label the bottle. A batched cocktail looks like juice but is several times stronger than wine.
Drinking Responsibly
A cocktail can easily contain as much alcohol as two standard drinks. The old fashioned above holds about 25 millilitres of pure alcohol, more than two UK units and about 1.4 US standard drinks. The strength figure helps you plan how many drinks to make and to offer good non-alcoholic options alongside them.
How Much to Make for a Party
For a two to three hour party, plan on about two drinks per guest in the first hour and one per hour after that, though crowds vary a great deal. If you serve one signature cocktail alongside wine, beer and soft drinks, assume roughly half the guests will choose the cocktail. Twenty guests at a three hour party might therefore drink around forty cocktails if it is the only drink, or twenty if it is one of several. It is easier to make one generous batch and keep a spare bottle of the spirit and some fresh citrus on hand than to run out halfway through.
Glassware and Serving
A 120 millilitre diluted margarita fits a coupe or a rocks glass over ice with room to spare. Stirred drinks such as the negroni and old fashioned are usually served over one large ice cube, which melts slowly and keeps the drink at the right dilution for longer. Pour from a chilled bottle or jug, garnish each glass with a wedge or twist, and keep the batch in an ice bucket on the bar.
Adjusting a Recipe to Taste
If the batch tastes too sour, add syrup a little at a time; if too sweet, add citrus. Taste a small glass poured over ice, since cold dulls sweetness.
Understanding Your Result
Batch lists every ingredient in millilitres.
In ounces gives the same amounts in US fluid ounces.
Water gives the water to add for dilution.
Total shows the total volume and the size of each drink.
Strength gives the alcohol by volume once diluted.
Shopping lists the bottles and citrus to buy.
When Should You Use This Calculator?
Hosting a party and serving cocktails from a jug.
Planning a wedding bar or signature drink.
Working out how many bottles to buy.
Checking how strong a cocktail really is.
Scaling a recipe from ounces to millilitres.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the dilution water.
Adding citrus days in advance.
Adding soda or sparkling wine to the batch.
Underestimating how strong a cocktail is.
Running out of ice — allow about 500 grams per guest.